Product Description

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Book one of The Gresham Chronicles takes you to an 1860s English village, where you'll meet recently bereaved Julia Hollis. Left with only her husband's debts and the memory of the fortune she once had, Julia must find a way to provide for her children. The only material thing she has left is The Larkspur, an abandoned coaching inn in the quaint village of Gresham. Used to being waited on, serving others comes as quite a shock and hardship for Julia, but with the help of the town's new vicar, it just might happen. But will a behind-the-scenes scheme jeopardize everything? Lawana Blackwell, paperback, 432 pages.

Publisher's Description

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When Life Seemed Its Worst, Gresham Awaited

Julia Hollis' opulent life in Victorian London crashes to pieces when her husband passes away. Worse, she is told by his bankers that he gambled away their fortune. Now, the family's hope rests on The Larkspur, an old abandoned coaching inn in the quaint village of Gresham.

Driven by dread and her desire to provide for her children, Julia decides to turn the dilapidated inn into a lodging house. But can she--who was accustomed to servants attending to every need--do what needs to be done and cope when boarders begin arriving? And then an eligible new vicar moves into town...

Author Bio

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Lawana Blackwell has thirteen published novels to her credit, many of them set in the English countryside of the 19th century. She and her husband live in Frisco, Texas.

I enjoyed this tale of finding one's faith to survive a time of trial. It is a realistic story to demonstrate the principle that God does not promise that we will not have to face trials and tribulations. The characters learned to rely on God to help them work through their difficulties.

This is the story of Julia, her 3 children and her friend and maid Fiona. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I read it all in two sittings, it was a tale that drew you in and made you want the best for all the characters.

Julia's dead husband was not the wonderful man and provider she had thought him to be, with the loss of her status and home, Julia and her children started life anew in the village of Gresham. Julia went on to grow beautifully as a person and as a child of God. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

I enjoy books with characters that have real life struggles and real life growth in their faith. I also appreciated that the author understands that because salvation occurs, it does not necessarily mean a person never struggles or is immediately cured of whatever plagued them before.

Picture a simple English village with a refreshing blend of characters from every walk of life. Blackwell draws us in to a heart-warming place called Gresham. Beginning with the widow Julia and her children, the author continues to add real people with real struggles who eventually discover answers in God Himself. Well written with great character development. A must read, and only the beginning of the rest of the story. Read on in the remaining three books to complete the series!